With the first round over, we are left with the “Elite Eight” of the Quest for the Stanley Cup. We saw a major shocker with the San Jose Sharks defeating the Los Angeles Kings in five games, and The St. Louis Blues finally defeating the Chicago Blackhawks after years of being beaten by their division rivals. With those two clubs out of it, we know that for the first time since 2009, we will have a Stanley Cup Final that does not include Boston, LA, or Chicago. So with certainty of a fresh champion, what should we expect the rest of the way?
Washington Capitals vs Pittsburgh Penguins
The Capitals and Penguins met in the second round back in 2009, with Sidney Crosby and Co. coming out on top. This time, Washington is much more solid in goal and a lot better on the blue line. John Carlson has proven to be able to hold down the blue line with his heavy and physical style, which Karl Alzner compliments well. Also, in 2009 the Caps had three scary offensive weapons (Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin), and they still have two of those weapons. However, their offensive attack is much deeper and balanced with guys like Evgeny Kuznetsov, Marcus Johansson, Andre Burakovsky, TJ Oshie, and a three-time Cup champion in Justin Williams. Pittsburgh now boasts Phil Kessel in their lineup, but outside of that there is not a ton of improvement, and there is even some regression on defense. I say the Caps take this series and move on.
Washington Capitals in six
New York Islanders vs Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning, typically, have one of the scariest offensive lineups in hockey. That is when they are healthy and have Steven Stamkos in the lineup. Tampa Bay still is very dangerous without Stamkos, but I don’t know if they will be able to handle the Islanders. The Islanders still have their star forward in John Tavares, in addition to Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson, and Frans Nielsen on top of Johnny Boychuk, Travis Hamonic, and Nick Leddy on defense. The Lightning defense is also banged up without Anton Stralman. This is a tough series to win for the Lightning, so I say New York wins this one.
New York Islanders in six
Dallas Stars vs St. Louis Blues
The Stars showcased their tremendous offense in the series against Minnesota, defeating them in six games (albeit with controversy) and the Blues are riding high after finally beating Chicago. Who takes this series? Well, in my opinion, this should be the best game of the second round. St. Louis has to be feeling good after the way they beat Chicago in an epic Game Seven. Dallas is just a scary team when it comes down to it, as offensively they can light up any team on any given night. St. Louis plays a strong and tough style that is difficult to compete against if you can’t match it, and I don’t believe Dallas can do that. I say The Blues take this one.
St. Louis Blues in seven
San Jose Sharks vs Nashville Predators
San Jose pulled off an incredible upset against the Los Angeles Kings, taking care of them in five games. The Predators played a terrific series against the Anaheim Ducks, winning that one in seven games. The Sharks have played a similar brand of hockey for the entire Joe Thornton era, and now have plugged in pieces like Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture. The Sharks system has never really worked when it comes down to the rough and physical style of the postseason, and you won’t find many teams that embody the style that’s problematic for the Sharks more than Nashville. They bring in Shea Weber, probably the best all-around defenseman in the NHL, and now Nashville also has some weapons on offense with Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg. Add in Pekka Rinne, and the Sharks just don’t match up in goal. I say the Predators take this series and eliminate the Sharks.
Nashville Predators in five